


Dead of the Night

by Titus_Hiraya



Series: Re: NOIR [1]
Category: Little Witch Academia
Genre: Alternate Universe - Prostitution, Brutal Murder, F/F, F/M, Genital Torture, Girls with Guns, Gunshot Wounds, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, Original Character(s), Other Ships Not Mentioned in Tags, Power Bottom, Racist Language, Service Top, Sexist Language, Shameless Smut, sex slaves, sex toy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-10
Updated: 2020-04-27
Packaged: 2021-03-01 22:48:32
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 6
Words: 13,674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23574898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titus_Hiraya/pseuds/Titus_Hiraya
Summary: Police Inspector Diana Cavendish has made it her life's mission to track down Daryll's murderers and keep Atsuko Kagari safe from Sharky Butcher: a notorious child-rapist who wants to exact revenge on both Diana and Akko.POV switch
Relationships: Diana Cavendish/Atsuko "Akko" Kagari
Series: Re: NOIR [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1696972
Comments: 22
Kudos: 54





	1. Inspector Cavendish

*Diana Cavendish*

It's midnight and my heart's beginning to beat faster. My head's hyper-focusing on the pavements ahead of me. 

Driving on the wide and winding inner roads of Blytonbury isn't calming; it never does. The streets of these dark parts remind me of why I became a detective in the first place.

 _Those who do vile things in the dead of the night follow the simple rule of kill or be killed. If I have to, I will draw blood once again._

My mind wandered from the dead of the night--with nothing but the motor sound of the mobile car, no sirens, and no music to the memories of 10 years ago. 

Aunt Daryll, another Cavendish blonde, a lawyer, asked me to assist her in finding a child rapist and murderer only known by the nickname AB... It was off the books. Then I discovered the reason why. In six months to two years of digging, Aunt Daryll and I uncovered one of the most stomach-lurching cases I have seen in my years as a police officer. 

Powerful people: those who think themselves as above the law for whatever reason have twisted and insatiable appetites for cruel deviance. It wasn't a mere, forgivable kink. It was a perversion of the severest kind. 

Ten years ago our covert operation under Task Force Uncover/Rescue stealthily stormed into an abandoned farm and castle.

It was a hard and cold night in autumn. Then we broke hours before dawn. 

There were fifteen of us in this elite task force. Under Deputy Chief Finnelan's direction, we got in. 

My adrenaline's pumping and my brain's too sensitive to any minutest detail that would give the truth away.

\--Smash the cement boards, tear down the walls, check every crack and crevice, you'll see bodies there I tell you! 

I ordered my mates to do just that. And I was right. 

Buried: in this case, sandwiched and cemented within the walls were transparent body bags. We were defenseless against the smell and stench of putrefaction.

Some bodies were there for a year or so that they were already reduced to gaping skeletons and some were a few months old with maggots wriggling freely under the plastics, melted flesh and muscles and mucous... 

Bodies of raped and mutilated children whose names were not known. Whose personhood was stolen by people who thought they could get away with this.

 _I'll make sure I'll hang them by the ballsacks and make them wish they were never born._

I pressed the brake pedal. The hideous memory fills me with rage.

Control yourself, Diana. You can't lose your focus now.

I AM focused. I'm just mad. I'm just mad that years of hard work, years of outstanding evidence, my aunt Daryll dead in the mission of putting those killers behind bars, and it was all for nothing!

Mephisto Butcher and Archbishop Lazarus: the former is a senator, the latter is a church's cardinal. The senator has a son: Arcane "Sharky" Butcher who's the architect of burying girls in walls. 

Arcane Butcher remained in hiding. To appease the public, corrupt higher-ups connived with my shameful superiors executing another "criminal" in Sharky's place. It was a mockery of justice right before my eyes... Breathe in, breathe out. Be mindful of this quiet night. I looked up at the rearview mirror, glancing at my face.

They said that the resemblance amongst the Cavendish women is strong. 

But I remember aunt Daryll's face and blonde head: heart-shaped and jovial, whose light blue eyes were always smiling. Same as my mother. By contrast, I have a sharp jawline and piercing blue eyes and if looks could kill, I'd have killed a dozen. I look like one of those action film villainesses. Not really a flattering look.

Men who asked me out told me I was pretty. Any guy would have said that to any woman who accepted their invitation. Men who I rejected told me straight up I'd look half-pretty if I smiled. 

In my line of work, frowning is my smile most of the time. 

After the operation, aunt Daryll was transferred to a case prosecuting scalawag policemen involved in illegal drugs buy-bust shenanigan. Within 7 months in the case, she was murdered in a dilapidated apartment where she's conducting her investigation. She was alone, away from her family.

Police found her body tied to the bed, her head wrapped in transparent adhesive tape, bludgeoned to a pulp. Her body ridden with bullets; cellphones and cash were gone. But those of her investigations were found all over her desk untouched. Her laptop which she was using was still there.

My mother was inconsolable with her younger sister's death. My young cousins, Maril and Merill (who were freshmen in high school at that time) were deprived of a mother. And, even though they were divorced, Paul Hanbridge still cared for Aunt Daryll. He was suffering and couldn't stand the sight of his ex-wife's casket being lowered six feet under. 

The Police District was quick to rule this out as burglary and homicide, not something to do with the current case she's taken... _Of course not. This isn't some fluke out of nowhere. The failed bust was a smokescreen._

There were no signs she fought back. When I snuck and checked out the apartment, her stash of a gun was still there, untouched. Toothbrush, utensils, clothes rack, shoe rack, a midget fridge--all told me she welcomed her assailants in her turf with open arms. She had no reason to turn them away. And they traitorously held her hostage, kept it quiet, cold-bloodedly snuff the life out of her...

Her case remained unclosed. _Not for long..._

Those termites no doubt got hold of anyone working in aunt Daryll's firm, tapped and pulled some strings, transferred her to another case, then created a perfect cover. 

A black, unmarked car slowly halted five meters away. This place isn't under my PD's jurisdiction. It's not a cop car. I sharpened my senses: it's a privately owned car possibly from a security agency. Snitches. In the police force, it's never short of members yearning for some glory with a badge: private detectives out for a big scoop contending for the limelight. The bigger the scoop, the wider the spotlight. 

A man in a suit, tie, and jacket stepped out of the car, raising both of his hands as if surrendering. He wanted to make me think it's safe. I waited for him to draw near as I wrapped my hand around the handle of my constabulary-issued handgun. 

The man briskly walked his way to my car and as he got nearer I could hear him shout, holding up some ID. 

He wanted me to roll down my window. I did. 

Thought so, recognized this guy. 

Louis Blackwell. Looking at ease in a corporate suit huh. He's also a detective: a private detective for a security agency. He's a fellow alum and we were acquaintances in college. 

\--Inspector Cavendish, Detective Blackwell here. What brings you to this part of Blytonbury? 

I let the motor die, motioned him to move out of the way. My trench coat did its job of protecting me from the winds of the autumn night yet I feel sick coldness kicking in. Like, something's bound to happen: something ugly is about do go down. 

I said quietly.

\--The campsite is half a mile away. 

To which he was quick to reply: 

\--Only police from this district are allowed to make rounds. You need a pass. I know you don't have one. 

\--You've been following me for some time now, haven't you? For how long now? Who sent you here?

He didn't answer any of that.

\--Diana, this is illegal. 

\--This is police work. 

He began to look uncomfortable. 

\--Listen, everyone in the police force knows you and Daryll are crusaders. We have protocols to follow, more than a semblance of the procedure here.

\--You're not part of the constabulary yet here you are trailing behind me, a total snitch. 

\--Hey, easy. If those chaps from PD6 followed you, they'd take away your badge for suspension, and the chief will have you demoted if you're lucky to still be in their graces. 

I kept my mouth shut. Allowing him to believe his words were sinking into me. The truth was I understood those protocols... It did nothing to protect those children who they raped and killed. It took some grit and pummeling and blood to get information that pinned the Butchers down. 

The _Force_ didn't appreciate me still hounding the Butchers. So I am stuck with my rank. 

He went on lecturing me anyway. 

\--It's been ten years, Inspector Cavendish. Go home. 

I fired back.

\--Louis, it's been ten years and no one has paid for their crimes. Sharky's still at large. How many bodies of dead girls would you like to pile up and turn up somewhere? 

\--The criminal was found and he was hanged and now he's rotting 6 feet under. The case is closed.

\--That's crap, Louis. There were witnesses and sufficient evidence enough to lock them up. The dead bodies were right up there in the Butcher's land. 

\--There was one witness and she was unreliable. She was declared unfit to become a state witness. 

I spat my next words like venom. 

\--That's what separates me from the porcelain bureaucrats like you, Blackwell. I care about truth and justice. The Butchers intimidated Prosecutor Fafnir and pulled a flimsy 'technicality' issue. Atsuko Kagari was a reliable witness. They used her being underage to coerce her parents not to speak up. Without parental consent, she couldn't become a state witness. No dice now for an appeal to reopen the case. What else do you think of that if not some manipulated outcome? 

\--You and your guys in PD9 did an overkill. And you lost Sharky. The roots of your operation were off the books. 

I was exasperated to the point I was saying some tasteless words. But I could not care less. I had no strength to argue further. My head was beginning to throb like crazy. Painful but bearable. _I have to do what I came here for!_

This side of the road was a bit elevated, a hilltop surrounded by trees. I could see the other winding road that led to one of the Butcher Family's campsites--more like dumpsites for human corpses. Perhaps still half a mile away. I could go in quietly, pass through guards: stealthy kill. 

I addressed him in a quiet voice, but loud enough for him to absorb every word of it. 

\--Don't stand in my way, Louis. 

I wanted to see Arcane "Sharky" Butcher dance through my bullets once again first before I finish him: make him beg for his life while his face is twisting in anguish. 

\--You're going to regret this, Diana. 

I turned my back on him. Is it just me or I heard the doomed clanging of silver bells? Ah, Archbishop Lazarus's midnight mass for the Butcher family. Just what kind of God were they praying to?

That God must be a disgusting piece of shit if it kept answering Butchers' prayers. 

Real justice was hard to come by. Guys like Blackwell: typical bureaucrat fence-sitters, indirectly helped termites and rats into the justice system. Shame, shame-- 

My feet were slightly lifted off the ground as Louis wrapped a powerful arm around my throat and pulled upward a bit... So that's what the warning bells were about.

Louis, you son of a bitch. You fucking traitor. 

I didn't want to go out with a bang just yet, my gun has no silencer. If Blackwell's to kill me, he surely has one. Cheerio then, I'd have to fight rough

I snaked my leg around his and forced him off balance. He seemed to have been shocked by it. He was expecting me to flail and try to scratch his face. 

Now I was on top of him, with my back on his chest, flat on the asphalt road. With a loud 'thud' and 'ugh' I elbowed him hard and quick succession on the rib making him lose his grip. That's my cue. I pivoted my body just enough for me to punch him in the face three times, five times, quick and set, and cracked his jaw.

My own rule in dealing with bodies taller and bigger than mine: when you attack, never let up, never give the devil a moment's rest, until you have subdued them. 

A bit tired, I left a dozing Louis Blackwell on the road and went back to my cop car. 

I removed my trench coat: not minding the painful coolness of the wee hours, revealing an unmarked, unrecognizable elite firearms unit apparel with a bullet-proof vest which I bought from an overseas black market. 

It's already 12:45. I got to finish this in an hour. 

I skidded down a grassy ravine and walked through the thick forest ignoring the sore I was beginning to feel around my neck. I couldn't see any moving body. I marched on catching my breath, goddammit. My knuckles were a little swollen, but I could still grab my knife and gun alright. The throbbing in my head came back again, this time it was knocking heavier, the pain was more pronounced. 

I shook my head: _On your feet you old broad. No time to waste resting. Move your legs and feet._

*Akko Kagari*

I was 12 years old, the only child of middle-class Japanese migrants just enjoying a biking session in the neighborhood one afternoon... It was getting late. I was tired but I didn't wanna go home yet. I closed my eyes for a bit. And when I opened them, orange-brown leaves followed the cadence of the wind and that gentle yellowish sun slowly sinking behind the khaki-colored skies was prodding me to go home. I was smiling. I was a free kid. 

I turned my bike the other way to head home to my mama and her beef stew dish. Papa would be in front of the telly watching some Stephen Fry show. 

I closed my eyes and when I opened them again, I was crying. But I couldn't feel the tears. I realized I'd been crying for quite some time that my eyes hurt and it's as if I had no more tears in me... My arms were stretched above my head and my hands were tied with thick ropes. 

My voice was croaking... 

\--Please, I won't tell on anyone. Just let me go home... 

The thick and wooly blindfold pressed on my eyes... And even though I was lying on soft sheets, there was no comfort. I was deathly petrified. Inside my head I was begging for my mother, begging for home, begging... 

\--Shhh, don't cry. This will be over soon. Such a good, girl...

I felt the man tugged at the creases of my long-sleeved shirt that was unbuttoned and undone. 

There were voices everywhere, shuffling of feet walking to and fro... My bare legs and thighs were shaky. 

\-- _Snort._ She's not a good girl. Fucking twat clawed at my eyes and kicked me in the balls. 

\--No. No. Stand back. We can't lay a finger on her. Precious cargo. Exotic. Who'd have thought this Nip has pretty red wine eyes. And not slanty too. Sharky's gonna love this. We'd hit a jackpot. He's gonna add a bonus. 

\--Hehe. Maybe when Sharky's done, we can do this bitch before we send her to the dumpsters. She a virgin?

\--Dunno, doesn't matter. She's a skinny twelve-year-old. All the cunts are the same. Sharky just has a liking for young girls. 

\--Stinky pedo.

\--Hey, he's signing your payroll. Give some respect. Besides, he's generous. Just ask him, once he's done with this girl, she can be all yours.

\--Yeah... I'll turn her to a cumdumpster before she goes to _the_ dumpster. There are others in line too. You can try some.

\--Gross. No way.

\--Why's that?

\--I have a daughter. I'm not into that kind of stuff. 

I understood some parts of what they were up to. I thought maybe if I gave them what they wanted, they'd let me live. 

I heard another voice coming in sounding frantic. It seemed a heavy metal door opened and based on the various echoes I was hearing, we were in some sort of an underground dungeon. 

\--Ahhh shit! Sharky's done it again! He's had his fill for an hour and now we gotta throw the body! He got mad when the bitch bit his dick. I swear I heard him break her neck. 

I froze inside at what I heard. I understood at that time my end would be a violent one. 

\--Sheesh, why couldn't these bitches follow orders? Like, suck and swallow, not bite. Easy-peasy!

\--Have you tried stuffing balls in your mouth?

\--Asshole! 

\--Seriously, mate. He's got a monstrous appetite. 

\--All Butchers do. Mephisto Butcher's running for congress and his brother's aiming for the cardinal. That's the future president and pope for you. 

\--What's her name again?

\--Atsuko Kagari. 

\--Holy shite. She's a bombshell. Look at that. Sharky's a lucky bastard. He'll take his time with her until she screams.

\--Oh yeah. Theyscream _a lot_ , those little whores. 

_I want to go home. Someone, please... Help..._

He removed my blindfold. 

Arcane Butcher was a monster yet he didn't look like those in Grimms' fairy tales. 

A guy 6 feet tall and with a lanky frame, he looked like a scholar or some holy man in business casual attire. 

But I'd never forgotten how those men described what he is: a child-rapist and a murderer. 

\--Don't be scared of me, Atsuko. We're just going to talk. Just a chat. 

His voice was gentle. His touch was light. 

But If I did something displeasing, he'd kill me, like what he did to the other girls. 

I flinched when he touched me: my face, my breasts, my stomach, my thighs, then back to my face... Fear settled in my stomach. I wanted to vomit. 

I began to cry again. 

\--Please, let me go home. 

He wasn't listening.

\--God damn. Your eyes are exquisite, sparkly red. You'll drive me nuts looking into them. You're beautiful when you cry... I have an idea. I'll make you cry even more. 

I noticed his hands and knuckles were swollen, and his nails seemed to have blood... There was a smell on him I couldn't guess what. But I was sure that didn't smell of sweat coming from jogging or playing softball. It was something else. 

He took his black trench coat off and I froze at what I saw: flecks of dried blood were on his pants and some of his white shirt. 

Dark foreboding lurched from my stomach to my throat, and then out through my mouth.

*Diana Cavendish*

The Butchers were quick to build this place up again this massive hell on earth after we tore it down 10 years ago. 

Evading the snipers isn't easy. I have to take them down: detect, stealth, kill, vanish, move forward. My trusted combat knives slither easily through jugular veins, exposed throats, rib cages straight to the heart. And if you're asking me how the hell did I know where these men are, I simply say, be a shark in the water: assume every trail of shadow, every nook, and cranny of the castle walls is filled with moving bodies with the mission to kill you... Be vicious and never let up. 

I'm getting closer. The smell of raw and torn flesh on my clothes from the blows I received and the blows I've given makes my blood boil. I can go for overkill now.

Bloody hell. Let's go with a bang.

The dungeon brings me memories and takes me back to how we destroyed the walls of it only to find the body of dead girls lined up together like they were pieces of blood-drained pigs... 

I have not seen Atsuko in years after the rescue. The last time she made her presence known to me was in a letter expressing her _thanks but_...

And since then, I swore I will get Sharky's head for Atsuko Kagari. I will secure a bright and peaceful life for a skinny migrant girl even if it means losing my life in this crusade. 

A fair trade it's going to be: the girl lives while ol' me dies. 

I will never forget those half-dying crimson eyes looking up into mine as I scooped her up from the filthy bed, those soft lips of hers saying a small 'thank you, you're here'. Her hand reaching up to touch my face as if I were a dream. 

_Don't die on me, please!_

With a gun in my right hand and the knife in my left, I tore through the barricade of commando guards who met me. Never let up. A stab to the heart, a bullet to the head. A savage punch here and breaking some mandible there, and I don't shy away from pushing eyeballs deep into their skulls using my opposing thumbs and then they realize too late that they're in pain and going blind. 

Sometimes you gotta fight fire with fire. You gotta match brutality with equal cruelty. It's the rule in crusades like this. 

But it isn't simple. My body could only take so much pummeling and blows. 

The taste of copper in my mouth just got bolder. 

I have three bullets lodged in my right leg, two punctured my thigh flesh, the one struck a bone just above my knee. I've been bleeding from the vest material, possibly a serrated-edged bullet. I can feel an intestine puking blood. My left shoulder blade and my arms got shrapnels as an effing bastard named "Julio" tried a bazooka to decapitate me. 

_I'm dying..._

Throughout the years I've been with the force, I acquired a heightened sense of alertness from more bruises I get. Maybe it's adrenaline. Maybe it's superhuman strength to withstand pain and hyperfocus. Either way, the feeling of pain only helps me get on with it and fire away as if I'm thirsting for more blood. 

Finally, here I am inside the monster's lair where Arcane "Sharky" Butcher raped and murdered kids.

I pulled out my last gun: a loud-mouthed revolver.

_Sharky... You're dead meat._

\--Looking for glory before you die, aren't you?

I stumbled forward... From two meters away, I can smell the death of an old man's wrinkled and soiled skin whose sweat mingled with blood and cum. Disgusting piece of shit.

The pain is latching on to my bones like a magnet to metal. It reminds me that, if I still want to live, I need to finish this monster off. 

_I hear a little girl's loud wheezing and whimper together with a rattling of chains._

\--You know, Inspector, if you kill me, you'll never know how many of these _undesirables_ have been buried in this small plot of the earth called... Butchers' Ranch.

I approached the curtains slowly, my gun on the ready. My right ear caught some teeny-tiny shuffling of the wind that tells me sunrise is never nearer... 

End of Ch.1 


	2. The 'Special' of Luna Nova

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana enters the lair of Luna Nova prostitutes.

_7 nights ago..._

_*_ Akko Kagari"

I've always been told that _this place_ leads to Blytonbury's worst hells. I've always known that fact since I was twelve. 

_Basin District:_ where posh macho police cars parade before the warm, whiskey-tasting brothels. Blytonbury's very own Red Light District. Its narrow streets lead drivers to the open and winding roads paving the way to the Butcher Castle, home to 370 high-class prostitutes.

Every district has its priced prostitutes and shiny dens. 

For Basin District, it's the prostitutes of Luna Nova (an intercontinental 7-Star hotel), known for their hypnotic and bewitching pole dancing and other stunts; mixing sweet seduction with spellbinding illusion. Of all the men (and sometimes women) who pay Last Wednesday Society "a visit" it's the police that pays the grandest. It's a common sight to see uniformed men "fraternizing" with Luna Nova girls who are clad in pointed blue hats, curve-defining, body-fitting long navy blue cloaks, short skirts, and killer tall boots. 

I'm one of them. Tonight will be more than just a striptease... A lucky patron can take me home--to Luna Nova Hotel, that is. And that's going to be £500 an hour in a suite. 

DJ Constanze began playing her synth-wave hits. We've got a full house. Barbara's excellent bouncers and guards couldn't contain the crowd's excitement. Up here on stage, we do rotations so all the guys could see us grind and float against metal poles as we remove one piece of clothing after another. Of course, for every piece, that's an extra £25 thrown to the box on the floor. No touch.

One man tries to grab Lotte's arm as she kneels to do some floor work.

Babs, from behind the curtains, signals Chumlee* to kick the bastard out of the club.

Transitions on stage have to be... _steamy..._

As cool blue light descends upon us, Jasminka steps behind me placing her hands on my hips. She hands me a long whip which I test by cracking it on the floor. It's sharp, whiplash sound, made the men in the club rowdier. Lotte, with a dopey smile, comes to my side, playfully caressing my cheek. She places an emperor's gold crown on my head. 

*Diana Cavendish*

Queen of the night... 

This isn't the doorway to hell. This is purgatory filled with angels taking care of sick souls... 

I'm looking for someone... Some monster who hides in the dark. A coward. My intel made of men shitting in their pants as I drown them in toilet bowls told me Sharky will be here just as Atsuko Kagari is here... Fuck you, Sharky. I swear you can never touch her again. 

There you are, in the farthest corner, away from the stage. Looking so smug but withered and old and hairless, your entire body dying and leathery... Arcane "Sharky" Butcher. Why could you not just die ten years ago?

\--Hey there, stranger. Where are you from?

\--From out of town.

I tell the waitress as I place a bill on the tray she's carrying with three bottles of beer. I take one. 

The young woman with long and luscious auburn hair and yellow headband acknowledges my words with a smile. Her soft voice somehow calmed my nerves. 

\--You can sit at the bar since most tables are taken. Sucy there will help you choose your 'poison'.

\--Thank you... I was hoping I could speak with one of your 'specials' here.

I place another paper money on the tray. 

\--Hmm, you're an officer. But you're not from PD6. 

She takes the money but shoves it back. 

This woman's a toughie. Nice. 

\--I need to speak with Miss Atsuko Kagari. In private. Out of here... What's your name? 

\--Delilah 

\--I don't mean your stage name. 

The foxy woman laughs shortly and giggles.

\--You're so serious. Officer... Cavendish. Got sick of gals using such tired 'nom de guerre'? Call me Hannah. 

She says, playfully tapping my nameplate on my vest with her index finger. 

I looked to my left and caught sight of a tall woman with orange and salmon high-lit hair, her green eyes burning in our direction by the doorway. Make no mistake. It's the cop-turned-mercenary, Amanda O'Neill hunched over the table, chewing some nuts, her eyes throwing daggers at me. Cool it. I'm not snagging your girl away. 

Hannah groaned. 

Delicate, springy fingers gently touch my face. I turned to the woman. 

\--Don't mind her. Sit anywhere you like and enjoy the show. If you play right, I might get Atsuko Kagari for you. 

There's the unmistakable warning in her voice and a pint of venom in her eyes. She's telling me something. 

I take Hannah's arm in my grasp. 

\--I know you're using Atsuko Kagari to lure in Sharky. If Sharky dies here, the whole Butcher House will graze Luna Nova to the ground. All of you will be massacred. 

I sense Amanda O'Neill on the move. In a short time, I've no doubt this can turn ugly. 

Sigh. I move so I won't be seen by Sharky and Atsuko who's... On the stage looking stunning in her scant clothing, exciting the patrons even more. She's a grown woman now. She filled out. 

Then:

\--Could you please signal Miss O'Neill to drop her weapon.

Hannah throws her the look. Amanda plants herself back in her seat.

I see fear registered in Hannah'sface. She glances around. Her eyes landing on where Sharky sits like a dying patriarch on a yellow-copper throne. 

*Akko Kagari*

Like a prey being hunted, I steel myself, preparing to flee.

The warmth of neon lights, the kick of the disco ball, helps calm my nerves. As Jasminka and Lotte trade spots with me on the stage moving from pole to pole, I feel exposed... I will never forget how Sharky looked when he forced himself on me finally to be stopped by Diana's bullets. But somehow it surprised me to see him now... bloated like a human body fished from drowning. That's a massive discoloration on his face down to his arms. 

I avoid his eyes. I know he's watching me with those yellow eyes. 

Ten years ago... 

I was tied to the bed, hoping for death to come and take me. And while praying, my thoughts flew to the memories when I was in Japan, watching cherry blossom petals fall to the ground we were walking on. Papa was buying some snacks at a nearby stall. He came back to us, motioning us to sit on a bench. 

\--Beautiful sunset, isn't it? 

Papa said, addressing both me and mama, handing us our snacks.

\--Yes. I will miss this when we go overseas. But, I'm sure there'll be sunsets we can enjoy at the new place.   
Mama said throwing papa a longing look. 

I opened my eyes and there was no beauty. Only quiet terror as Sharky was on me, finished, and wanting for more. His one hand was on my mouth, muffling my cries. His other hand was on my knee, pushing my leg up. It was like a hammer seared with flames slipping into me. The pain was searing hot that I could consciously feel the twitching of my body rejecting the horrible blistering sensation.

It was like thin paper cutting through the skin multiple times: I was going into shock. So much so, my mouth moved on its own biting his hand.

\--You BITCH! 

He said, retrieving his hand I'd bitten. 

I couldn't even sob, my strength left me. But I thought his violent hands would be my end. 

_Mama. Papa. I love you._

He raised his long and lean arm above his head. The next thing I heard was the loud smacking of a bony hand against my cheeks. I tasted copper inside my mouth. But I was more concerned with the thirst. 

_I need water... Please..._

_\--_ You DON'T do that to me, you little whore; you little piece of cumdump! 

I lost some tooth. 

_SMACK!_

_When can I go home?_

_SMACK!_

_Can I ever go home?_

_SMACK!_

Sharky paused a bit, then raised his hand again, sweat glistening his body.

Then: I saw that hand exploded as a bullet zinged through it. His loud and beast-like cry was riddled with expletives as he scrambled to get off of me and out of bed. _Too late_. One bullet after another and finally, the holy man-looking monster slumped on the cement floor.

I heard the voice loud and clear:

\--I found a live victim! I'll get her out fast! Tell the medic to be on standby! 

She was tall; a police officer. I was dying and for the moment I thought she was an angel of mercy and salvation.

\--Sharky did this to you...? 

She has the kindest blue eyes I've ever seen. 

Her demeanor changed from a sweet angel to a horrifying god of war. She turned her attention to Sharky who was on the floor, garbling out his pleas. 

\--Officer Cavendish! Diana! Let me... let me live... I swear... You can keep the girl... I didn't kill her, see? 

Sharky pointed at me. His face looked so pathetic begging for his life.

\--You raped her. And you were going to kill her... Just like what you did to the other girls...

Her voice was dripping with menace as he towered over him, with guns in her hands. All Sharky could do was squirm. 

I could only listen to Diana Cavendish's cruel judgment cutting through this monster as I was lying on my back, thinking blankly. 

Blood splattered on the walls and on the floor. That was the last thing I remembered of him... And I really thought he'd died on that spot. 

_It's over. This hell has ended._

The next thing I knew was a pair of strong arms carrying me. I looked up at her tears-stricken face and managed to touch it. 

\--Thank you. You're here. 

_My eyes are heavy. I'm tired... Her voice sounded far away..._

_\--_ Don't die on me, Atsuko! 

End of Ch.2 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Chumlee is a cast member of Pawn Stars


	3. Tenderness in the Night 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana and Atsuko finally meet again after 10 plus years.

*Diana Cavendish*

I heard the whiplash and it landed on some guy... Yep. Louis Blackwell. 

Sinking back against the wall, hoping Atsuko Kagari won't meet my eye just yet. Still, I'm grateful that the end of the whip pointed to Blackwell whom I can easily discard on the street. 

Sharky mustn't know I'm here. 

There's Barbara Parker, talking to one of bloated Sharky's bullfrog of a guard, probably explaining the _mechanics_. No end of the whip, no taking-home-Atsuko. 

I turn to Hannah. 

\--What's going on now? Are they leaving?

\--Yes. I radioed Sucy and she told me Sharky's party wants to go to another district and have a good time there. 

This time, Amanda O'Neill joins us in this dark corner of the club, a bottle of beer in hand. 

\--I'll tail them so we can make sure they're completely out of this District. 

\--Thank you.

I tell her in a quiet voice. 

Amanda just snorts.

\--Not doing this for you, Cavendish. 

\--I understand that. Do take care all the same. 

I trust the gritty, I-don't-take-shit-from-anybody-O'Neill.

Like any police elite product, she knows how to utilize stealth, kill, vanish, move. She was a topnotch investigator for PD6 who got disgusted by corrupt bureaucracy and now is being paid as a shadow guard for Luna Nova. Paying for a security agency is pricey. With mercenaries, they made a hefty deal.

Getting a taste of Luna Nova girls for a discounted price, or in Hannah England's case: for free, is not so bad. 

Hannah reaches out to Amanda. The fondness between the two is unmistakable. 

\--Take Constanze with you. 

\--I'll be fine Han. I've attached a tracker to Sharky's car and within a safe driving distance, I'll radio you if something is needed.

For now, all I got to do is to steal Atsuko from Louis and bring her to a safe place before I kill Sharky. Then, teaming up with Amanda, I can go to war against the Butchers. 

I study Atsuko Kagari from afar under the arched entrance of the club. Though she's a full-grown woman, she has the springiness of someone in her late teens. Ah well, she's only 22. The lamp post's bulb seems to be busted, giving me perfect cover in the dark. She's laughing possibly at some lame-ass joke as Louis wraps his arms around her delicate waist. He peppers her neck with playful kisses. 

Darn it, it starts raining. Just got lucky, huh?

Louis and Atsuko ran to another archway. Following them is that easy. 

I step out of the dark and meet Atsuko's bewildered eyes while Louis keeps on kissing her neck. Then: 

\--Darling, what's wrong? Urgh-!

I slammed my gun against Louis' nape, rendering him unconscious. He falls to the ground.

I don't care.

\--O-Officer Cavendish?

I smile lightly, raising my hand to assuage her fear. 

\--Nice to see you again, alive and well, Ms. Kagari. 

The rain begins falling in heavy cadence. Thunder rolls in the skies. 

She cuts me off with her own words.

\--I thought I'd never see you again.

She steps forward, finally closing the gap between us with an embrace, her arms around my neck. 

\--I've always needed you. 

I gently push her from me.

\--Ms. Kagari, you need to leave this place. It's not safe for you here. 

Atsuko looks up at me, her beautiful ruby eyes are longing.

\--With you, I'm safe. 

She takes my hand. Together we walk through a series of archways leading to a faux wall that's the door leading to an underground. 

\--Come with me. 

This underground scene of Luna Nova is something else. 

Atsuko pulls me by the hand. We walk through this alleyway of the dance floor. Some indie electronic pop's blasting from the speakers.

\--Stay here for a bit. I'll be back.   
She tells me, leaving me in a corner. I see her disappearing behind the bar.

I avoid acting too observant lest I draw suspicion from the young crowds. Some hippie throws me a lopsided grin. One of the three skimpy-clad girls walking arm-in-arm gives me a wink and a pouty flying kiss. The place has some nice airconditioning but the overly active and, I must say, _high,_ dancing bodies make this underground intense and warm. 

After a few minutes, she emerges from the bar with a pack of light beer and some boxes of--what I assume--a Chinese takeaway. 

Then she says:

\--Follow me. 

I watch her slender form move smoothly, gliding along with the place, as though she's melting onto the backdrop. It makes me wonder if she'll be safer here than taking her to the Cavendish manor. Sometimes familiarity with your surroundings is a perfect recipe for a hideout. 

Meanwhile, with my drab police trench coat damp from the rains, my profession is too obvious. I forgot that police who "fraternize" with Luna Nova prostitutes don't bother removing their uniforms. I'm sticking out like a sore thumb.

*Akko Kagari*

I hand Officer Cavendish her share of stir-fry noodle box and beer. She puts the can on the drawer table beside her and looks tentatively at the contents of the food.

\--Um, sorry. You probably don't eat this kind of stuff. I should have asked-

\--No, no! It's all right. 

She splits the chopsticks and digs in.

\--It's just that I feel like this is the first time I've eaten today. Been following some shady bloke. I'm working on a case... Thank you for your hospitality. 

She takes a bite, looks at me with a surprised expression.

\--Ms. Kagari, is something wrong?

I smile; she's probably puzzled at why I seem to study her face. I stir the insides of my box. 

\--I'm just happy to see you again after all these years. I mean, I haven't thanked you well enough. And... I'm sorry if I let you down... They...They never gave me the chance to speak up. They told me I was too mentally weak and traumatized to be reliable. Prosecutor Fafnir told me and my parents that... You're an unruly cop and you did some illegal actions that put me and the case in danger. The case you were on was off the books. It was not sanctioned by the senate. But I believe, now we can do something about that. The only way we can move forward is to first hold some leverage against the Prosecutor's Public Office and thus give us the approval to reopen my case: a re-investigation. 

I met her light blue eyes, shining with awe. I tell her: 

\--I swear I'll clear your name. 

\--Wait, wait, hold on a second. How... did you plan this?

As soon as she finished her question, Officer Cavendish looks around like a puppy studying her environment. Is she wondering why my law books are scattered across the bed or why I have two laptops open with cameras? I can't tell her yet about my stash of Beretta hiding in plain sight. I followed where she's looking now and both our eyes land on a familiar red insignia. 

\--The University of ***. You're taking up law then? 

She says with an impish grin on her pretty face. I nod twice. In a matter of a few seconds, her smile softens. She says:

\--I'm glad you're well and thriving. 

\--It's all thanks to you.

I sense the tears that'll fall from her eyes as she looks down. 

She nods once then shakes her head from side to side.

\--I could've done better. If I had only persuaded them, we could've saved the other girls. If I had done it sooner, Sharky could not have kidnapped you and--

\--Shhh, hey. Hey...

I sit on the bed close to the chair where she's sitting (actually, my only study desk). I take the officer's hands in mine. 

\--Don't think for a second that what you did was worthless. It's not your fault that there are people like Sharky and the Butchers who swell at doing vile things. It's not your fault that Fafnir delays justice to protect his hide... You're a good cop and an excellent human being. You're kind and there's not a malicious bone in you.

There's a shimmer in her light blue eyes. I can't help but drown into them. 

There are light creases on her forehead and the sides of her eyes and smiling mouth.

Hardened years of stress and cynical pessimism are slowly imprinting on her mellow features. Her cheeks are flushed which made me think of pushing the strands of her platinum blonde hair away, tucking them behind her ear, then softly brush her lips with my finger--I stopped my own thoughts.

I don't even know if the officer swings that way or swings to both ways. Or swings to everywhere or everyone, I don't know...   
  


\--Are you all right?

Her now free hand is gently holding my upper arm while I shake myself from the temporary stupor. 

\--Stay with me...? 

***

I let her mouth capture my moans, my arms gripping her body tight.  
  
The way she unclothed herself earlier and crashed her lips onto mine took me by surprise, to be honest. It's as if I have awakened a longing in her so deep. A need she needed to extinguish as soon as this is over. 

She had pinned me to the wall, her hands desperately removing the clothes I'm in. Then she stopped to stare at my body. _Enjoying what you see?_ She's right there absorbing my form. Her panting indicates she's trying to control herself... _When was the last time you've been intimate with someone?_ The fact that I'd be the one to release her excited me even more... She seems to figure it out with the way I'm smiling.   
  
\--Patience, love.   
I say, guiding her down the bed... I love it when I have them under my spell... I sit on her lap with my legs spread apart teasing her more with my grinding, kissing her lightly on the lips, Diana's hands traveling south capping my hips. I hear a slight groan from her, possibly becoming impatient now... Her hands began unclasping my bra, running hungry touches on my breasts. She breathes out my name, dripping with desire.

\--Call me Akko, Diana...

Like a blind follower, she says yes and soon enough she's uttering my name like an incantation. 

Her body's now spread on the bed ready for me. I slide downward finding her wetness, looking up, I could see those magnificent twin mounds heaping up and down. Diana's hand reaches out and implores me to release her, her fingers digging a little through my hair.  
  
I dove in. 

_Jesus, you're so wet._ I worked her with my tongue beginning from the lightest of touches. Diana bucks her hips to meet me, encouraging me to go faster and harder... I slipped in my fingers and began massaging that sweet spot, not removing my mouth on her achingly hard clit.  
  
There were times when I've let go and lost my senses to sheer pleasure and then spent the rest of the night just staring at the ceiling, catching my breath, thinking of what I might be doing in class the next day. It was simply a chore after all. 

I don't know for how long now I've been between her legs but the slickness, the quivering of her folds, and the sudden disappearance of the previously hardened nub; Diana lifting herself up with a loud gasp of my name, folding herself onto me, her inner thighs shaking in torturous delight as I quickened the pace of my fingers--- I lost count of time. This is... Heaven.   
  
_Fuck, there's gotta be more, Diana._

\--Let go...

I growled. I'm not letting up until I see her come completely undone. 

I heard a series of gasps and then, a 'thud' of her body falling back on the bed. I pulled my fingers and there it is her cumming. 

Crawling back on the bed, I look at Diana's beautiful form: pale skin with blotches of red, her erect breasts, her orgasm shaking her through. It's then that I take her in my arms. She digs her nails on my back as she struggled to gain composure. The pain was bearable. Her breasts begin to soften as I run my hands on them playing softly with her nipples.   
  
Diana whispers in my mouth:

\--I... I love you, Akko. 

End of pt1 of Ch.3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1\. Oh, quarantine; the things you do to me.
> 
> 2\. Folk hero romance in noir is just, for me, impossible without smut.


	4. Tenderness in the Night 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Diana, Akko, and... 

*Diana Cavendish*

\--Come on in, Diana Cavendish, look at what you did to me.   
  
I step inside the dungeon, covering my face with a bandana cloth to lessen the stench of sulfur, shit, and bloody cadaver. If Dante were here, I'd tell him this is what hell smelled like. His body has the color of yellowish pus and his face down to his arms and legs looked like gangrene. 

_God, how is this despicable thing still alive?_

My mind goes back to the past. After carrying young Atsuko to safety, I ran back to the castle to help my mates. About 10 meters away I saw Chief Finnelan running towards me, waving at me, shouting, mouthing something at me:

\--Stop, fall back!

And within 10 seconds, half of the castle exploded, burning and burying my mates alive. Chief Finnelan's body was flung in the air some 15 meters away. I still remember the impact of the blast... The chief died later that day due to trauma wounds from 3rd-degree burns on her back. The whole ranch and a quarter of the nearby forest burned.

It was assumed that Arcane's body melted in the fires but I never believed that. The flames didn't touch the part of the castle where the dungeons were located. There was a labyrinth of underground passages that Sharky probably used to escape. 

Arcane Sharky Butcher stands before me: bulky, hairless, alive in putrefaction. 

I have no time for words.

I point my gun at the monster and fire away. 

***

_God, Akko._

The afterglow sweat runs from my scalp to my nape but I don't care to wipe them off. Akko gently prods my hips to move, both her hands on my sides, darting her bright eyes up to me, cocking an eyebrow. She wraps her lips around silicone tip in erotic foreplay, sucks it a little. 

Dear Gods, I swear on my ancestor Beatrix's name, this girl can kill me. 

She moves her hand to touch that little button just behind the shaft hitting my clit... It was gentle at first; slowly building that pool of desire within. 

Akko begins humming, moving her head up and down: the throbbing and wetness getting stronger.

_Fuck!_ I feel like I'm going to explode, but I don't wanna spoil it. I want Akko to be _this close_ to my flesh so we can come together. There's a victory in Akko's smile as she says:

\--Tell me; what do you want, Diana? What do you need?  
  
She lifts the shaft a little bit and kisses and licks my exposed flesh behind. 

_I need you, Akko_. My brain's going in overdrive. Then, I say: 

\--Bed, Akko. On all fours... 

I hear my breath hitching a little.   
Can she hear that rage in my tone? Nothing's on my mind now but Akko and Akko alone. 

I trace her body with my hands until I hold her by the waist. Her movements increase in speed as I brace myself against her _derriere_. She turns her head to look at me:  
  


\--I'm your's Diana. 

My Reason has lost its grip on me. Or no, Akko's taken over, making her my Reason. _Come up here_. I took her by both her arms so her back's close to my chest, impaling her deeper, my fingers doing numbers on that hardened bundle of nerves. From the crude sounds of bodies meeting, I savor that uphill climb of grinding against hers, the trembling of my insides threatening to explode at any moment. 

Akko reaches up and grabs my head, letting me kiss her. _Don't lose it just yet_. Her body begins to tremble as I hold her in. Her fingers dig on my arm and my thigh.

\-- _Faster... Harder..._

I meet the pace of her body only to overtake it in speed and might until... 

Akko throws her head back with a loud wail of my name, my cumming close behind, then spread all over my senses... When I opened my eyes I see Akko almost hugging herself trying not to lose it. 

\--Oh my god. 

Akko gasps as she lands back to the bed face first, her body shaking, slipping herself away from the velvety shaft covered with her cum. 

I lay beside her, holding her close, calming her nerves. 

\--I love you, too. 

She says. Akko's ruby eyes emit a dopey glint before drifting off to dreamland.   
  


_Akko says she loves me, too._

***

Arcane's colostomy bag exploded. I also hit him on the shoulder and stomach. 

His grin taunts me. I hear his maniacal laugh.

\--Getting rusty, aren't you now, Diana. You were a good shot. But thanks to the wounds you inflicted me tens years ago, I would have missed this new drug everyone's getting addicted to... Now, I'm more invincible than ever!

He moved towards me at a speed like that blindsided me. In a few seconds, he swings his arm hitting me on the body. 

I realize I hit the opposite wall past the entrance of the dungeon, slowly recovering from my fall. 

Sharky is now a literal monster. His body is rotting. But maybe that's a bargain he made with the devil... Whatever that devil is.

Hopefully, I'll find out. I just need to hold out a little bit longer. 

End of Ch. 4 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> short chapter


	5. The 8th Night: Akko's War Begins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko in a rescue mission. The Luna Nova prostitutes are geared up for war. 
> 
> CW: in case readers ignore tags. Mentions of sexual torture. Proceed no further if you think it will cause some mental/psychological distress. 

_The 8th Night_

*Akko Kagari*

That foolhardy Diana Cavendish, leaving my warmth and my bed to fend off a monster (she says) on my behalf. I'm not some priced princess in distress and I am not the weakling I was ten years ago. That knight-in-shining-armor traversing the dark forest to save civilization, saving a maiden as a form of a knight's reward (or collateral, whatever), is so fucking passe. You have to realize you're not alone. And, Diana, I'm not going to forgive you if you die. I'll spit on your grave if you die in this.   
  
No option left but to save your bloody ass and take you home. I'm so mad at you I'm thinking of slapping you so hard then fucking you senseless. If I hadn't badgered Amanda about Diana's poor attempt at _seppuku_... What an idiot. Diana, you lovely idiot. Did you honestly think I'll just sit back and enjoy some tea with your mother while you're bleeding to death somewhere? 

My fingers tighten around the wheel as I fight back the tears of frustration. I'm not losing Diana. She thinks she's doing this for me... 

With Constanze's and Chum's help, I've modified this gorilla of a jeep for the war, taking the lead for the squad. Right behind me are Sucy and Lotte, locked and loaded. We're flanked by Amanda and Hannah on both sides. Their big bikes cutting through the winds. 

Bab's cargo van trails close behind in a few meters away, Constanze and Jasminka with her. We are under no illusions that when Diana reopened the floodgates, the Butchers are gonna play nice.   
  
Luna Nova and Last Wednesday Society are trenched and well-guarded. 500-strong women have taken up arms. 

In PD6, Chief Nelson has got to make a choice: protect the people or serve Prosecutor Fafnir's interest. She knew she'd be deposed or banished but... Honoring her dear friend, the late PD9 Chief Anne Finnelan, together with her reborn sense of justice, she chose the former. Those who weren't interested surrendered their badges and went home. As Amanda put it before, no police who fraternize with Luna Nova prostitutes would die for a pussy they pay for to fuck. That's how low they think of the women of Luna Nova.   
  
I guess we have no choice but to gather the few good fellas left and turn the tide. No letting up.

***

\--Akko, you're not safe here.

\--So I'll be, in any other place if I don't defend myself. 

\--You don't understand. Akko, you survived. Arcane's not stopping until-

\--I know how obsessed Arcane Butcher is with me and you. You're not the only one who has a master plan. And if you're going to war against the Butchers, either I'm staying here to fight with the girls or I'm coming with you.

\--No. I'm taking you to the Cavendish manor, that's _that_. That's final. 

Really? Dishing this macho crap at me, I feel like my eyebrow shot up way farther back. 

Diana burrowed further under the sheets, gripping the helms of the blanket tight. Looking the other way. _How cute, is she pouting?_ Maybe it's her work as tough top cop. She's not used to having her orders questioned or countered. Jesus.

I smile to this not-so-hidden childlikeness of a grown-ass woman. 

\--Diana. When I said I've always needed you, I meant I need you here. In the here and now. Do you get me?

Her naked back feels a bit cold so I close the gap between us, she's not resisting. 

*Diana Cavendish*

And then...WACK! 

Someone removed the thick mask from my face. I realize I was hit by a bony hand across the face just to wake me up. 

When I opened my eyes, I was gasping for air... There was little to no oxygen inside this plastic mask that covers my face with my eyes still seeing the exterior. I'm in one of the dungeons of the castle. This place looks like an operating room. It is, indeed, an OR for torture. Or medical experimentation judging from the upright glass caskets filled with human-like creatures and other stuff I can't figure out just by looking. 

\--Inspector Cavendish. We meet again. Do you remember me? I know you do. 

Standing before me in a blue pin-striped suit and dark brown leather shoes, his graying temples in slick pomade and clean-shaven face: senator Mephisto Butcher. Goddamned slick devil. 

I don't need any reminder. I can vividly recall Mephisto Butcher storming in the funeral berating Chief Finnelan, threatening to dismantle Police District 9. Lying on my back, I look around me again and noticed the bodies in those glass caskets don't have heads on them. From what I see, some bodies are marred and are bluish. I more or less got an idea of what my end would be like. As realization sets in, for some reason... I feel calm despite the fact that I'm tied to this grill-like bed, spread-eagled. 

Oh Jeez... I was expecting to die already with all those blows and bullets. Seriously, this is just annoying. But the thought of dying only brings me to the memories of those fevered nights: Akko's body, her bed, her love. 

\--You're smiling, what for? We haven't begun chatting. We can chat, like friends. 

Mephisto asks, his face close to mine. That Cuban cigar breath stinks. 

But I was smiling, reminded of Akko. I can't wait to go home. 

\--Senator, thank you for operating on me just so you can torture me. That's stupid. 

Mephisto smirks.

\--You're a gutsy woman. Just like Daryll. Just like Bernadette. You're mother's still a war hawk?

\--She's a retired Marshal. _I'm thirsty_. 

I say, my mouth begins to feel cottony. 

\--Not the answer to my question. But okay. Here, water. 

Mephisto pulls up a chair which I thought appeared out of nowhere. He sits near my head. 

\--Diana. Can I call you by your first name? Diana, you're a good cop. A stalwart cop. But with the way the world operates now, there's just no space for you. That cop from your PD9 who got promoted as deputy, that should have been _you_. I mean, the whole Butcher clan was rooting for Diana Cavendish. You got talent and brains and-not denying it- _beauty_ which the Cavendish women are known for...

He laughs a little. Is it imperative of vile men to laugh at trivial things? Beauty and brains are words I've heard time and again when everyone talks about Cavendish women. Sometimes I think that's not true. If Akko sees me in this state, I'll get an earful. She'll call me an idiot and rightfully so. 

\--Oh, god. Senator, are you asking me out? 

Mephisto is old enough to be my father. 

He doubles over. Jesus Christ. 

\--I like your attitude. 

\--You could've saved all this trouble by surrendering your son to justice. Though I'm surprised. Your son enjoys fucking underaged girls and then killing them. 

His demeanor changes. His voice is quieter now.

\--I don't have his inclinations. But he's my son, my only child. He's supposed to carry the family name. And you destroyed that dream. Now Sharky's this useless piece of... I don't know what you call a creature like that.

\--A walking yellow turd if Big Bird were a child-rapist. Ha! 

I can't stop giggling.

\--Serves him right. I took away his weapons: his hands and that one between his legs. Now he's a fucking living overused sponge! 

My snicker seems to tick him off. He stands up and begins tinkering something. I recognize those: _an electrode_. He fixes himself a pair of black rubber gloves. 

\--Inspector Cavendish, let me tell you this interesting story. Some years ago, my ex-wife--she's dead now, by the way--had this interesting kink which I discovered only at the time of her death. I found her dead body on top of another dead body with metal rods sticking into their anuses. There's one in her vagina. Long story short, she was engaged in an electrocution sex play that went wrong. She and her lover died. Both suffered third-degree burns in their lower torso. 

I remember that case very well. I snapped at him.

\--Foul play.

\--Tell me about it.

He says.

I just want to shoot his face and erase that smirk permanently.

So I speak: 

\--They were tied to the beds with the man handcuffed. The cuffs had serial numbers that matched the ones approved by the procurements office which you approve of... What made those cuffs stand out? Interestingly enough, forensics found tiny bits of threads coming from a synthetic, wooly, tactical gun gloves. The threads carried some DNA imprints on them giving us how old the fabric is and the person using those... You probably thought those distress marks could only come from horrid sex games. Theses were signs of torture... Mephisto, you were present before and during their dying and right after they died... You killed them with your hands. 

I see Mephisto's calm, jovial, relaxed face tightened into pure and unadulterated malevolence. 

He goes on: 

\-- _Parilla_ , inspector Cavendish. _This thing_ _here_ goes into your vagina. The other one, what I'm holding right now, is a baton. Once the electric's adjusted, and when I run this to your body, your muscles will contract so bad, you'll pee and shit... I just can't wait to see that coming from your holes.

The Butchers, indeed, have twisted, unforgivable kinks. 

Mephisto grabs me by the hair, making my scalp sting.

\--I'll mess you up so bad you'll lose control of your bowels and bladder. I'll turn you to some cumdumpster toilet. When I'm done with you, no one will ever remember about the great Inspector Cavendish! 

*Akko Kagari*

We're met by the Butchers' mercenaries on the way to the castle.

\--Take Sucy and Lotte with you, Akko. We can hold these thugs back. 

Said Amanda as she and Hannah unmounted their bikes to exchange bullets with the mercenaries. Constanze's mini-missiles decimated the enemy's numbers for the meantime, but the girls didn't want to leave anything to luck. 

Inside the castle, we're met by dead silence. The sheer number of commando guards who lay lifeless on the ground, with their eyes wide in terror and disbelief gives us how deadly Diana's assault has been. From what I learned about Diana Cavendish, she's an outlier: she's one of the three females who completed and passed the commando training in the army. I haven't asked her what made her leave the army to become a detective. 

No signs of a dead Diana anywhere. Either she's held, hostage or being tortured right now. God, I feel I'm going sick.

\--Get a hold of yourself, Akko. 

Says Lotte in her radio, her voice joined by a crackling sound. 

\--I can hear you... Are you okay? 

\--I'm fine. Thanks.

\--Listen to the quiet air, Akko. Someone's watching us. Something's coming. 

It's Sucy, acting as the rear guard. 

From my left, in the dark, a strong smell of decay was coming closer and closer. We stopped in our tracks.

\--Akko, watch out! 

Lotte shouts my name again. But the moment she utters the last syllable of my name, Lotte's hit with a brute force, sending her flying in the opposite direction. Sucy follows the movement and shoots with her assault rifle. I heard the echoing bullets ratcheting. 

\--Lotte! 

Lotte struggles to get to her feet, aiming a clear shot. 

Before I can reach her side, a swooping heavy pressure drags me back, pinning me against the wall by the neck. I look up at this 7-foot monster, rabid, and without any human reasoning abilities. A total and complete non-human. 

Illuminated by the flare, Sucy jumps from behind it, attacking it with a machete, slicing some meat off of its body. It gives a loud, guttural cry and speaks something in gibberish.

_I recognize this voice... Ah! This... This color... And smell... Arcane Butcher._

Everything's happening so fast as the monster tightens its grip around my neck. If I don't get my wits together, I'll die. With this close proximity, even if it's almost a blind shot: pulling out my Beretta, shooting him three times. The monster falls back, stumbles, hits the ground. But it's still alive. 

The three of us gather around its dying body. 

\--Where's Diana? 

It doesn't answer. Instead, those unknowing eyes darted to the heavens and muttered something. Lotte tries to stop me as I crouch and lean down to hear him better.

\-- _No... heads... sixth...door...father...don't...mother...can't...breathe..._

He's probably hallucinating now. I tell Sucy and Lotte what this thing was saying.

\--Sixth door. Ring any bells with you?

Sucy throws the question at me. 

\--Maps for this old castle says the place where Sharky raped and killed young girls was on the 7th door... I know where it leads. I can still remember it.

Lotte looks at me with concern. My friends know that I'm still affected by the memories of my rape... But... In one of the doors, behind it, Diana's held captive or tortured or both. I have to do this. This will end soon.

Arcane's body starts trembling and stiffening as he struggles to breathe as if he's drowning. He begins to whimper and call his mama. 

He's a monster, I know that. But even I can't match his lack of humaneness. 

I crouched again, look him in the eyes, just letting him know it's ending, the suffering will be over soon. 

A single bullet to the head. That's what it took. And finally, he's no longer moving. 

End of Ch.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was watching some The Michael Brooks Show vids about Christopher Hitchens. I did some digging about waterboarding (it's fucking torture) and it led me to read other forms of torture which led me to electrocution in sex play et cetera. ref:
> 
> https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7325139
> 
> and torture: 
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Parrilla_(torture)
> 
> I originally intended to draw some inspiration from stories of female dissenters who experienced various forms of torture. Like, I was gonna pattern Diana's torture scenes from that. But that became too much for me writing it down so I backed out. Plus I want to make sure the 6th chapter will be the last one for the series; I have this habit of going off-tangent when I want this to be just noir. And I don't think I could recapture in fiction the dread and disgust I felt reading some of those.


	6. Sparrows Are Calling You Home

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Akko's war ends.

*Daryl Cavendish*

I bid my daughters goodbye before dropping them off to school, Paul agreed to pick them up afterward. I don't care if I drove long miles from here to the apartment where I temporarily took shelter as long as I could see my kids. For some reason, I welcomed the foreboding that I could lose my life and every day could be the last day I get to see my family. There're no words. I helped ruin Diana's career in the police force. I can't look Bernadette in the eye. I lost a dear friend: Anne Finnelan was one of the best ones in the Force. I lost her and Diana's just inconsolable... The worst was the irreparable damage to the girl's body and soul... I pray every single day for Atsuko Kagari's healing and safety as I do for my daughters. All these things make me move forward and dog on. But... From here, where to go? Diana's not forgetting this. Knowing Diana, it's not surprising she keeps an eye on Atsuko Kagari, perhaps forever; wouldn't be a surprise if she hounds the Butchers to no end too. 

Diana already pledged her shares in the company for Akko's future. Whatever Diana has can also belong to Akko. That girl won't go hungry or deprived. 

After the prosecutor's office denied any reprieve, the only concession we got was to move the evidence gathered to a Public Keep. This means, under freedom on information law, constituents can visit and see digitalized cold, closed, and on-going case papers where state officials have been involved directly or implied. The deeper implication of this is officials are now, more than ever, held to a higher standard of accountability and morality by which they are rightfully judged. It could spell a massacre of their political careers if they aren't mindful of their deals. 

This doesn't mean we should stop. I shouldn't stop. The public prosecutor who should've been an ally, _temporarily blocked_ the reinvestigation and the reopening of the case under the pretext that Atsuko Kagari isn't a reliable witness. Sure. No problem. As long as the pieces of evidence collected from the wreckage are in the Public Keep, Diana, Bernadette, and I can dog on while helping the girl heal and get on with her life. Her childhood was brutally stolen.

Right now, the Butchers are keeping mum. The public is stoked. They want heads to roll... But Cardinal Lazarus Butcher, that charismatic and accessible church leader, managed to hoodwink most and polarized the case... The Butchers have been a staple in business, politics, and culture. It's impossible to separate their legacy from the land. Most voters have been my agemates and older who were living in the hey-days of this legacy. Only a few and younger ones--the likes of Diana and Officer O'Neill--have the guts to question their long-standing, dynastic influence. These young voices haven't been amplified enough, but they are dangerous. I admire them. 

\--See, you're so stressed. What happened to one case at a time? You're a freelancer now aren't you? 

\--Yeah... Right there, harder... Ugh, I thought you're on duty tonight?

I ask Louis, who won't stop massaging my back. His delicious hands targetting those aching muscles... Louis and I have been dating for months now. This suave and charming and young rookie private detective has been lighting up my fire since I was transferred to this illegal drug case.

\--Nope. That's why I have computers and assistants. Detectives aren't supposed to be walking and tailing anyone around like in the dumb movies. That's so old-school. Do you know what's new? Senator Butcher's financing this "eye in the sky" super-computer. That should help to find anyone missing. 

I roll my eyes. If Diana were here she'd be mortified of the prospect of technology spying on anyone's privacy. The only technology she respects are those who can identify anyone through DNA. My niece is this kind of Hartigan/Deckard detective: unafraid to get physical and dirty, sticking their noses into the fires. 

\--So the Butchers can still hog the graces of the masses despite his son's a proven child rapist? 

\--You know, the case has been closed, the suspect has been found, and the criminal is dead.

\--Sharky's missing.

\--Not really.

\--God, Louis. The body wasn't found. You know what, cook for me. I'm busy. 

Honestly. I don't know if he just wants to get a rise out of it or he just trusts the system too much. Thirty minutes in the kitchen, and I hear a little commotion. Maybe it's Louis again battling away rats who come skidding down the walls from unattended holes and cracks... Just as when you think your house is in good condition. Rats, huh. Well, I should buy some rat poisons and have Louis fix those gaping holes. I imagine, though, that it's too late and this whole apartment is drowning in shit and urine and rats...

What an odd thing to think about...

Before I could stand up and attend to an already wheezing and stomping Louis in the kitchen, I felt a pointed tip all too familiar resting at the back of my head. A knife. When I looked up to glance at the mirror, the first thing I saw was a senate seal lapel on the man's chest.

*Diana Cavendish*

_No._

I force my eyes to fly open. I refuse to die in the hands of scum. And I'm going to kill you.

I just told these in his face with a maniacal smile. It's okay. All I have to do is to make sure my heart isn't gonna explode. I just gotta hold out. O'Neill's coming here anytime soon. Wait. It's morning already, isn't it? There's that beautiful sparrow family, the mother feeding her chicks with breadcrumbs. The family built their nest in this cell's window. What an odd thing to see... Or remember... Mama gave me some crumbs to feed them, chastised me for killing the mother sparrow with my pebbles when I was trying to hit the fruits even though I knew there were nestlings on the tree.

I was a rascal, never understood the existence of other peaceful lives. I learned the hard way. _From now on, you will feed them, nurse them. Shelter them from the storm. See what you did? You took their mama away from them._

My tears fell that day and I'd never felt so heartbroken. Aunt Daryll and Uncle Paul helped me build birdhouses for the baby sparrows. _I'll be your mom until you learn to fly. I'm so sorry_. _I'm so sorry_... I told them, hoping they forgive me, those little ones. Maybe this is payback for what happened. 

The mother sparrow flew down--majestic--gently placed its tiny feet on the landing beside my head... In this moment of dread and night of the soul, I feel at peace; as if I were witnessing a little miracle, eternal forgiveness. The sparrow, with her knowing eyes, cocked her head to the side and placed a piece of bread. I watched her fly away, back to the nest.

I realized I've been screaming invectives at the scum the whole time I'm tortured, partly because I abhor him, but mostly because I'm in excruciating pain. 

\--You're the tough one, aren't ya? Army training has paid off. You're a little bit out of shape, just a little, true, but you're damn hard to break... 

Mephisto has already removed his expensive suit jacket, vest, and necktie. He's wheezing. Then I heard someone scream from the outside, a girl's scream, followed by a volley of bullets... Wait, I think I recognize that voice. _No, no..._

\--What's the matter? I see. You look like someone shat on your face. That could be your little girlfriend eh? Grand reunion, huh. Too bad, both of you will die here.

Something in me tickles and just makes me laugh. I gave him a look that says: "you're a special kind of stupid." 

\--Akko and her friends might have killed Sharky by now. You can kill me but after this everyone will know what kind of evil you and your family tree are. You will have no way out. People will know and remember. 

For the umpteenth time, he hovered the baton. I screamed in pain. My whole body absorbed the current forcing my flesh and muscles to contract so tight like they're tearing apart inside. I heard a crack near my lower extremities but it was drowned by the overall painfully vibrating sensations. 

It was only after he paused that I could no longer feel that part of my leg. Shit. I broke. Then the pain of my fracture swept me and I just couldn't fight the tears. Mephisto drew near and whispered:

\--Goodbye, Inspector Cavendish. Send my regards to your Aunt Daryll in hell. 

_Mephisto, you bloody bastard._ He began lifting his dagger to pierce me through the neck. 

He was caught off-guard by the door's explosion, sending the door flying, crashing against his electric play equipment. It was followed by a flying machete cutting Mephisto's face, exposing fractured bone cheek. Blood was flowing from his head down to his white shirt. 

Mephisto fell to the ground on his knees, desperately trying to stop the bleeding. Too fucking late. 

It was Akko Kagari, standing before him, a gun close to Mephisto's skull. 

*Akko Kagari*

I have no words for Mephisto Butcher. So many words have been wasted, lives have been needlessly sacrificed. He was begging me to spare him, offered me money, offered to stand witness against his brother Lazarus Butcher whom he claimed as the real mastermind for kidnapping girls, raping them, killing them, and developing this kind of illegal chemical that transforms people to become sadistic cold-blooded monsters.

I shot him twice in the head, for good measure. Two Butchers down, one remaining. And Lazarus is hiding somewhere inside the Cardinal's Palace. 

Lotte and Sucy released Diana from the grill. She's in great pain. Her right leg was fractured but she's not bleeding. There's no way we could just carry her out like this. 

\--I'm sorry. 

She says as she wets herself. 

Oh god. I only realize the tears on my face when Sucy told me to snap out of it and help her immobilize the leg. 

\--They're coming! 

Lotte says in a triumphant voice.

\--Who?

Sucy inquires as she bandages Diana's leg. 

\--Lotte!  
I'm impatient at Lotte's stalling.

As if to answer for Lotte, we heard twin rotors passing by this torn down section of the castle and sets of combat boots coming down this way. Amanda's mercenary friends? Bab's girls?We haven't received radio messages from Amanda at Intersection 55 where we left them to fend off Butcher's henchmen. Sickness engulfs my stomach and fear. They're not the enemies but...

A group of paramilitary uniformed medics stormed in past us to get Diana out.

\--Where are you taking her? 

I call out, grabbing one medic.

\--Everything's okay now. We're taking Officer Cavendish to the towers. Other medics are coming in to get you too. 

It's a bit of a lengthy answer. When I look at the door, the person standing there, wearing fatigues and a surgical facemask, resembled Diana a bit. Scandinavian tall, with platinum blonde hair, blue eyes but icier than Diana's. Medics carrying Diana hurried past the woman. 

_Holy Shit_. 

It's Dame Bernadette Cavendish. 

*Diana Cavendish*

They put me in a coma. It was like that for a month. When I woke up, I had to undergo physical therapy. I needed light exercise and strict dieting to keep me in shape. With the way my body was abused from all the fights and the torture, I had to take it slow. They granted me a sick-leave of three months. But I felt, that with all the anti-pain drugs I'm taking, I can still use my body to the extreme. 

I haven't seen or heard from Akko for four months now. Here in the tower, save for the telly and the papers, I barely receive any news from the outside. I haven't heard from Amanda either. What the hell happened to them? 

With my condition, security has been tight. Some elements wanted me dead. I received a classified message from the secret service of The Majesties. In exchange for protection, they want my services for mission code: _red plant_. They want me to become a tactical adviser to weed out enemies of the state from within the system. They realized after the Butcher fiasco and the almost civil war Luna Nova girls started, people like the Butchers who work for the government with possible ties to terrorists outside do not make the businesses look good. 

Jesus Fucking Christ. They don't care if there are kids out there who're kidnapped and raped. Money are all they can think about. 

I packed my bags, filed a signed resignation, sent some bodyguards to sleep, left the compound. I'm headed to the mountains. 

*Akko Kagari*

My case has been re-opened. And on the campus, I sort of been hailed as a celebrity. The former Dean of my college volunteered to be my head legal counsel while I worked as his junior associate. The wheels of justice have been set to full speed ahead. Families of the victims were emboldened and came forward. Perpetrators who were still alive and found guilty were sent to jail. Others have been sentenced in absentia. Lazarus was impeached from his religious office--a first and hopefully not the only victory against an institution that let rapists thrive for nearly a millennia. 

\--Akko, the Dean's looking for you. She says it's urgent.

Lotte calls me from behind the door.

I put down the Screwdriver I'm drinking for brunch and headed to the Dean's commons. 

\--Miss Kagari, take a seat. 

The Dean was all smiles as she pointed to the seat in front of a man I know nothing about. He's young but possibly a year or two older than me. 

\--This is Andrew Hanbridge, Mr. Hanbridge, this is Miss Atsuko Kagari... And, I shall now leave you two. Just message my secretary if you guys need anything. 

The Dean left and then... Business.

Andrew Hanbridge works for the secret service and is on the mission to convince Diana to take the role of a senior adviser for a department they're creating. 

\--We know you and Officer Cavendish were intimate during the 'war'. A few months after, she packed her bags and is now living in the deepest parts of the mountains. It's been a year now. 

\--Doesn't mean I can easily change her mind. Did she tell you guys why she left? 

It's useless to deny this simple truth. The memories come rushing back to me. 

\--No. 

\--Mr. Hanbridge, why can't you just find someone else with more experience and possibly can do a better job? Don't you think that maybe Diana's tired from all of this and just wants peace of mind? 

Without batting an eye or any amused expression, Andrew Hanbridged displayed aerial spy photographs of the northeastern forest. They're splayed on the table between us like gambling cards. There's Diana: doing pull up bars, hiking, hunting, skinning a dead deer... mounting munitions, practicing knife and target-shooting, training some village women combat skills... _What the fuck?_

\--Does that look like she wants peace of mind, Miss Kagari? It looks like she's preparing for some war. 

\--Mr. Hanbridge. The villagers who live at the mountain's foot are hunters and farmers. Women using guns are the norm. Besides... Wait... Mr. Hanbridge, surely you're aware of religious separatists living just outside the border? 

Andrew Hanbridge nods.

\--Diana speaks northeastern people's distinct dialect and knows their culture. We have received reports that some elderly females asked for Diana's helped in guarding their homes as marauders kept breaking in, stealing stuff. Reports of kidnapping "brides" came up. Instead, she's mobilizing them to become self-sufficient defensive communities. We were ordered to put this under top-secret files, not to divulge it yet to the minister of internal affairs. 

\--You're putting people in danger, Mr. Hanbridge. Are you serious? You're going to sacrifice the safety of those indigents just so you can squeeze out a 'yes' from Diana. They need the military, asap. 

Not only that, but this is also a very thorny one. Since she's no longer in uniform, those who want to destroy her can easily use this and call her a terrorist. Training civilians for combat without approval from the minister of internal affairs is illegal... But I have a feeling that Diana knew this it's just that the circumstances on the ground are quite different.

It means the northeastern people have been possibly crying for help for quite some time now. Diana just happened to be there. Knowing Diana, her sense of responsibility and justice are easily stoked. She's thinking: better to die fighting than just taking it all in. 

\--What do you want me to say to her?

I'm quite amused by his sad smile.

\--Offer her the very thing Secret Service can't, Miss Kagari. A home. With you. 

That following night, Sucy drove me to the hill leading to Diana's camp. I may have an idea of what to say to her but it will take more than words to make her understand.

Diana, I'm coming for you.

End of Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Done. Don't know what to work on for the next project.

**Author's Note:**

> Kinda lazy notes---  
> 1\. Lesbian Relationship/Adult Age Gap  
> 2\. Sin City and A-Team concepts AU// Dead Aunt Daryll // Alive Bernadette// Sexier, Wiser, More BadAss Akko  
> 3\. OC Arcane "Sharky" Butcher is inspired by Anton Arcane (VillainsWiki), a DC antagonist.  
> 4\. Mephisto and Lazarus are from video games (VillainsWiki); just mentions in the story and not direct actors.  
> 5\. 17 years age gap between Diana and Akko. Present: Diana's 39 while Akko's 22. Flashbacks to ten years ago (Rescue mission): Diana was 29 while Akko was 12.  
> 6\. I originally intended Chariot to be the "Hartigan" in the story just so I can comfortably match the age gap. But Chariot in the anime series clashed with John Hartigan's ideals and personality. So I settled for Diana.


End file.
